Minnesota House of Representatives Passes HF 778
May 13, 2022
After a rather contentious debate, the Minnesota House of Representatives just passed HF 778 by a vote of 70-57. There were a few amendments that were adopted (see expanded update).
- One adopted amendment requires a 3-hour waiting period between the time money is deposited into a sports wagering account and the time that the money can be used to place a wager.
- Another adopted amendment prohibits push notifications from being sent by mobile sports betting operators and mobile sports betting platform and service providers.
- Another amendment requires that the funds available to compulsive/problem gamblers be made available to their families and not just the individual compulsive/problem gamblers.
- Another couple of adopted amendments dealt with prohibiting marketing that targets people under 21 (21 is the legal age to place a wager in the bill) and other people that are prohibited from placing wagers.
The House passed is not supported by the Senate which wants to expand market access beyond a tribal monopoly to include race tracks and perhaps sports teams as well. There is a good chance that the Senate does nothing, thus pushing the issue to 2023, when it is likely that the House and Senate will be under Republican control and the tribal coalition will not have as strong of influence with the legislature.